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Old 17-06-2019, 07:17 PM
samos101 (Sam Monea)
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Building A Cabin - Where Would You Do It?

Hey guys, been ages since i've visited. Originally, I purchased a telescope with high hopes of using it regularly. Being in Melbourne, and not getting out and about enough, it eventually just gathered dust (that pesky light pollution).

It was advised on these very forums a great alternative would be a good pair of binoculars that is easily portable, then heading North. The binoculars were great. I sold them years ago when I was going through some financial difficulty, but I am alive and kicking and in a position to get myself another good set.

In the meantime, I've been daydreaming about turning a shipping container into a cabin of sorts (or if this wasn't feasible, I'd go the caravan route).

I was wondering, what spot would be best to take on such a project? I guess the issue is that I am trying to kill two birds with one stone.

I want dark skies to be able to stargaze, but I also like scenic areas (mountainous, coastal and the like).

After traveling the south of New Zealand, I was absolutely gobsmacked. It is a beautiful part of the world. I have a feeling Tasmania would have a similar feel, and I am planning a trip there soon to do some scouting for nice spots. The only issue with going to somewhere like Tasmania is it takes a little more planning and I can't just up and go on a Friday to spend a weekend away.

So I started looking at potential spots within Victoria that is within driving distance (I don't mind driving 4-5 hours, that's a meditation for me).

Over the weekend, I drove up to Heathcote to check out the scenery and see whereabouts the dark site was (couldn't quite find it, but was nearby and appeared fenced off). Had a general drive around town, it was nice but nothing groundbreaking in terms of scenery (not that I saw anyway!)

I do plan to also check out Snake Valley as that appears also to be a good spot, but I am only going up during the day (if I went at night, I'd likely stay overnight). Just scouting at the moment!

So my long-winded question is coming: if you had a choice of location to build a cabin, or take a caravan, where would you do it?

I also plan to do drives further east along the coast (Lakes Entrance, Metung and the like) but I feel some of these spots will have a higher amount of light pollution but might have the scenery I am after!)

The other spots I plan to check out is throughout the Victorian high country for good spots - again, places like Bright and Mansfield could harbor a substantial amount of light pollution, and they're probably costly as well if I were looking for a small slice of land for a cabin!)

So, where would you build a cabin and why?

Cheers guys,
Sam
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Old 18-06-2019, 04:46 AM
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pmrid (Peter)
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Sam, you've tapped into the "almost" great australian dream. Thre are many factors that would influence this decision. Here are a few:

1. Accessibility. This is a double-edged sword. If you can reach it, so can others. The more accessible the location, the more vulnerable it will be to theft, vandalism etc. Our fellow citizens are not a uniformly honest and decent bunch!

2. Do you want an observatory as such or just a place to sling a bunk while you set up a tripod. The collateral question is how much you're willing to spend. Do you plan buying a block of dirt on some remote mountain-top, or just doing an overnight squat somewhere?

3. Power, water, telephone, internet, toilets etc. Many questions here. Many compromises.

4. Fire risk.

5. Then, the question of seeing: the usual shopping list includes, cold climate with clear skies. Light pollution is an issue now and will get worse. But you won't do much imaging below 20-25 degrees above the horizon anyway so this can be managed. And you can image in narrowband - but you can do that from the city already can't you, so why go to all this trouble?

6. OK. Locations - there are some very good observatories in the central west - sites that are relatively low but remote and cold at night. Rural areas can have their own problems of course - dust, farmers burning-off, lights from vehicles on the highways etc. The top of a remote and elevated area would be better in many ways.

7. Long-terms climate issues. It's not going to get any cooler. In fact, quite the opposite. Do you want to spend money now on a site that will be much less attractive in 10-20 years time. Will you be able to resell it readily?

Sorry to badger you with all this but this is not a one-dimensional issue.

Peter
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Old 18-06-2019, 06:53 AM
samos101 (Sam Monea)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pmrid View Post
Sam, you've tapped into the "almost" great australian dream. Thre are many factors that would influence this decision. Here are a few:

1. Accessibility. This is a double-edged sword. If you can reach it, so can others. The more accessible the location, the more vulnerable it will be to theft, vandalism etc. Our fellow citizens are not a uniformly honest and decent bunch!

2. Do you want an observatory as such or just a place to sling a bunk while you set up a tripod. The collateral question is how much you're willing to spend. Do you plan buying a block of dirt on some remote mountain-top, or just doing an overnight squat somewhere?

3. Power, water, telephone, internet, toilets etc. Many questions here. Many compromises.

4. Fire risk.

5. Then, the question of seeing: the usual shopping list includes, cold climate with clear skies. Light pollution is an issue now and will get worse. But you won't do much imaging below 20-25 degrees above the horizon anyway so this can be managed. And you can image in narrowband - but you can do that from the city already can't you, so why go to all this trouble?

6. OK. Locations - there are some very good observatories in the central west - sites that are relatively low but remote and cold at night. Rural areas can have their own problems of course - dust, farmers burning-off, lights from vehicles on the highways etc. The top of a remote and elevated area would be better in many ways.

7. Long-terms climate issues. It's not going to get any cooler. In fact, quite the opposite. Do you want to spend money now on a site that will be much less attractive in 10-20 years time. Will you be able to resell it readily?

Sorry to badger you with all this but this is not a one-dimensional issue.

Peter
Hey Peter, thanks for your thoughtful response. It is exactly what I was after. Without experience, this can be a pipe dream. Hence why I have battled between a caravan vs. building out a container with fireplace, solar panels etc.

All of those issues have run through my head. Especially the fire risk in Oz. In the Netflix special, all of the cabins were on rolling green planes with not a whole heap of shrubbery or trees. The climate in Wales is also vastly different!

This is why I am considering many options, even coastal or lakeside.

I'm not accustomed to the country, grown up in the suburbs, so obviously weary of animals that could pose a threat (snakes and the sort).

The idea was a weekend getaway from the hustle and bustle. I could do without internet as I spend every waking minute on it, but contact via phone is important in case of emergency.

To answer your question: it isn't necessary to have an observatory as such. I know i'll be more of a casual observer, and I get great joy seeing the night sky with the naked eye and a set of binoculars. That gives me my cosmic fill. If I did delve into it further I'd definitely set up something a little more serious!


The more I think about it, the tougher this does become. The first hit I felt was in NZ, there was this little cabin on one of the roads we were travelling down in just an amazing picturesque spot. It was beautiful. I thought, damn that would be bloody nice.

I don't think I'd want to be too far into the woods, especially in Australia with the risk of bushfire, and especially since I am not experienced in this arena. I have a mate who regularly camps and 4WD's. He hunts, skins animals and can live off the land if he had to. So I could get a few tips off him. Not sure if i'd be skinnin' animals anytime soon, though. Ha ha.

I guess I just wanted to know if anyone here regularly uses a caravan or perhaps has a little slice of a scenic location they go to for a retreat.

I am not pulling the trigger until I get to Tasmania and drive along the East/West, this will be years in the making - just wanted to do some groundwork now. I am OK to be talked out of it if it's a silly idea, or whether a compromise is a better choice.

In the end, perhaps a Caravan is the best choice (albeit a little more tight on space than the container option I had in mind). But the benefit is you can up & go, and it isn't necessary to purchase a lot of land either!

I will need to do a few more trips around Victoria, so open to potential locations I should be checking out!

Thanking you once again.
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Old 18-06-2019, 02:22 PM
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xelasnave
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A shipping container is good for lock up and somewhat vermin proof and good for a fire how every unless right in it...a van has various advantages...its all done..plumbing wiring lights stove fridge windows furnishings and relatively easy to move...a van works out far cheaper.
A relative of mine built a real house using shipping containers and it was much more expensive than a conventional build...you should get a van for under $10 k and most likely around $5k if you wait for a good buy..I picked one up for nothing and that is not uncommon.
If you just put in a permanent pier and keep your gear inside. .mount scope etc such an instalation (permanent pier)really makes set up much easier as you can mark where the mount goes to get polar alignment or very close to it...I dont plan leaving my scopes cameras and mounts in the thing that I am building if I am not on site (see what I am building in DYI observatories here)
And may I say welcome to iceinspace and I hope that you can keep us informed of your adventures...my recomendation for a place is the far North NSW coast..weather is great and life is laid back for most☺.
Great beaches on the coast and plenty of beautiful bushland and no nasty animals except maybe the odd brown snake and they are not too bad unless they bite you in which case it is life threatening ...
Good luck.
Alex
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Old 18-06-2019, 02:27 PM
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xelasnave
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If you get phone you get net more than likely...I get it here☺
Alex
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